The news of the latest disappearance spread like wildfire. An Okapi—a model, no less—vanishing without a trace. The city buzzed with whispers. Everyone knew someone who knew someone affected. Friends, coworkers, neighbors—all touched by the growing mystery, but no one seemed to have answers. No one had seen anything.

Legoshi stood at the edge of the busy street, his eyes scanning the crowds. The air was thick with the tension of hurried footsteps and hushed voices. He could feel it, like a storm on the horizon, threatening to break. The city was falling into the same cycle of fear it had experienced before. But this time, there was no clear enemy. No easy target. No name to curse.

The latest abduction had hit hard. An Okapi wasn't just another face in the crowd. They were rare, often celebrated for their graceful, almost mythical nature. But now, they were just another name in a growing list of the disappeared.

Legoshi's mind raced. He'd been so focused on the broader picture—on the cracks in society, the simmering distrust between species—that he hadn't realized how personal this had become. It wasn't just about the city anymore. It wasn't just about keeping the peace. It was about the people he cared about. Haru. Louis. Jack.

But what could he do? Where could he even start? The police had little to go on. Theories ran wild, but none of them held any weight. Legoshi felt his frustration mounting as he pushed through the crowd, heading toward his apartment.

The moment he stepped into the building's narrow hallway, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a message from Haru.

Haru: "I need to talk. Can you meet me?"

His heart skipped a beat. Haru had been a bit distant lately, she'd been reclusive, speaking in vague half-truths, and avoiding their usual meetings. Legoshi couldn't understand it, and it had begun to gnaw at him. But this? This felt urgent.

Without hesitation, he tapped out a quick reply.

Legoshi: "Where?"

A few moments passed before her response came through.

Haru: "Near the old aquatic docks. You know the place."

Legoshi's stomach tightened. The old docks had been abandoned for years, a place where few people dared to go. It was quiet, desolate, and shadowed by the looming presence of disused warehouses. There, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, was a place where secrets could be kept.

He didn't hesitate. He needed to know if she, too, was feeling what he was—this creeping sense of dread.

By the time he reached the docks, the night had fallen completely, shrouding the area in darkness. The distant sound of the waves against the wooden piers was the only noise that kept the silence from becoming deafening. Legoshi stood in the shadows, ears alert, watching for any sign of movement.

And then, he saw her. Haru emerged from behind a rusted container, her figure barely visible in the dim light. She had always been small, delicate, but tonight there was something different in her demeanor. She looked… tense. The usual fire in her eyes was absent, replaced with an unreadable expression.

"Haru," Legoshi said softly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "What's going on?"

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she glanced around, as if checking to make sure they weren't being followed. Her steps were quick, deliberate, and Legoshi could feel the unease radiating off her as she closed the distance between them.

"I—" she began, her voice faltering. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Legoshi. There's something wrong. I can feel it." Her eyes darted around again, almost as if she feared someone might be listening. "The disappearances… I think I might be next."

Legoshi's ears flicked at her words, his heart sinking deeper into the pit of his stomach.

"Haru, what do you know?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground. "I—I saw something," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I saw someone leaving a building near my apartment a few nights ago. A figure in a cloak. I could see black fur around their sleeves when they moved, but.. they looked different. Almost like their fur...wasn't attached. I thought I was just tired. But then… I saw them again. The same figure. The same strange way they moved."

Legoshi's mind raced. Could this be the same entity behind the disappearances? Was this figure somehow involved?

"I couldn't get close enough to see their face," Haru continued, her voice trembling now. "But I know they were watching me. I don't know who they are, but they're connected to the disappearances. I can feel it."

Legoshi's mind raced as he processed her words. A figure cloaked in mystery. The sensation of being watched. It all pointed to something more than just a random spree of kidnappings. There was an orchestrated plan at work, one that they were only beginning to uncover.

He reached out and placed a reassuring paw on Haru's shoulder, his voice steady but filled with the weight of their new reality.

"I'll find out who's behind this, Haru. I promise. You're not alone in this."

For a moment, she looked at him, a mixture of gratitude and fear in her eyes. Then she nodded.

"I hope you're right, Legoshi," she said softly, before taking his hand.

And as they made their way back into the city, he couldn't help but wonder who could be behind this.

...

Louis was the first to notice the stranger. A tall, slim figure, concealed by a cloak, with an air of authority and power, standing out against the sea of people. He stopped at the crosswalk, and Louis couldn't shake the feeling that the stranger was looking straight at him.

As the light turned green, and the crowds surged forward, the figure began walking in the opposite direction, disappearing into the sea of bodies.

Louis blinked, feeling slightly disoriented, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Who was that?

He shook his head and kept walking, pushing the strange encounter from his mind. But he couldn't escape the lingering sense of unease, as if there was something he had missed.

It was then that his phone buzzed with an incoming text message. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened the notification.

Juno: "Hey! Are we still meeting up for lunch?"

Louis paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"Yeah. Meet me at the café."

He put his phone away and continued walking, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a strange tension in the air.

He arrived at the café a few minutes later, and found Juno waiting for him outside. She smiled as he approached, her eyes bright and full of life.

"Hey, Louis!"

He returned the smile, his thoughts briefly shifting to the strange encounter.

"Hi."

"How's your day been?" she asked, her voice warm and comforting.

"Honestly? I've had better," he replied, a small chuckle escaping him. "It's nice to see you again."

Her smile widened, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.

"Well, let's go inside and get some food," she said, leading him into the cafe.

The warmth and bustle of the crowded restaurant helped to dispel some of the lingering unease. The smell of fresh coffee and warm pastries permeated the air, and the clinking of cups and plates served as a constant reminder that the world was still turning.

Louis and Juno settled into a booth in the corner, the two of them chatting about their respective days.

"So, how's the new job going?" Juno asked, sipping her latte. "How does it fell to the big boss?"

Louis shrugged, swirling the straw in his iced tea.

"It's alright, I guess. Not quite what I imagined, but it pays the bills."

She nodded, a thoughtful look on her face.

"And what about the animals working under you? Any interesting characters?"

He snorted. "If by 'interesting characters' you mean 'insufferable pains in the ass,' then yes."

"Come on, it can't be that bad," she teased, grinning at him.

"No, it really can. Trust me, you don't want to work for a company where the most important thing is image. You end up having to deal with a lot of bullshit."

She laughed, a sound that filled the air like music.

"Well, I'm glad you're finding a way to make it work. That's all that matters, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

The conversation flowed easily between them, and for a while, Louis managed to forget about his concerns.

But as the afternoon wore on, the mood began to shift. Juno seemed distracted, her attention drifting elsewhere.

"Is something wrong?" Louis asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed, shaking her head. "It's nothing. Just... have you heard about the latest disappearance?"

"Yeah," he replied, his expression darkening. "It's horrible."

"I know, right? I mean, I've seen the news, but... it just seems so surreal."

Louis nodded, a frown forming on his face.

"I just can't believe it's happening again," he said, his voice heavy with resignation.

"Do you think the city will ever recover from this?"

"I don't know," he admitted, sighing. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Juno was quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on her face.

"Can I ask you something, Louis?"

"Sure," he replied, curious.

"What do you think is going on? Why are these animals being abducted? Do you think it's the same person behind it all?"

He hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't know. The whole situation is... bizarre, but im confident it's not Melon. It doesn't fit his M.O."

"That's what I thought, too," Juno agreed.

"All we can do is try to stay safe and hope that the police can catch whoever is behind this," Louis added, taking a sip of his tea.

"I hope so. Because if they can't... the city could be in a lot of trouble."

The conversation drifted into other topics after that, but Louis couldn't stop thinking about Juno's question.

Why are these animals being abducted? Who's behind it?

And as the hours passed, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get worse.

...

"Legoshi. Have you seen the news?"

The grey wolf sat up and stretched, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep. The sun had only just risen, and Seven's voice carried through the door as she pounded on it again. "Another persons gone missing...and..I think it's someone you know."

That woke him up. In a flash, Legoshi was out of bed and yanking the door open, nearly sending his friend tumbling backwards.

"Wha-Seven, who is it?"

"A Dall Sheep...they didn't say a name...but they said it was a former student of Cherryton High School"

"Pina." Legoshi was out the door and down the stairs in a heartbeat, leaving the startled alpaca standing in his doorway. "It's gotta be Pina. Where'd you hear about this, Seven?"

"Uh, it was...on the morning news," she said, following him out.

"What station?"

"Uh...KBC?"

Legoshi was already halfway down the stairs, heading for the lobby.

"Thanks, Seven. I'll see you later."

"Wait, where are you going?

"To find Louis."

...

The deer was easy to spot among the morning crowd, his red coat and antlers making him stand out like a sore thumb.

Legoshi called out to him, but Louis was too deep in thought to notice.

"Louis!"

Nothing. The deer simply kept walking, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"LOUIS!"

Finally, Louis's ears twitched and he looked around, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the grey wolf.

"Legoshi? What are you doing here?"

"You've heard about Pina, right?"

Louis frowned.

"What about him?"

"He's the latest victim, Louis. They found his apartment empty, and the police are saying it's another abduction."

The deer's eyes widened.

"That's too close to home."

Legoshi nodded.

"I think we need to get a better idea of what's going on here. This can't just be a random string of kidnappings. There's got to be a pattern, and we need to find it before someone else disappears."

Louis considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. We need to work together on this. Meet me at my office later and we can start putting together a plan."

Legoshi hesitated.

"There's something else, Louis."

The deer looked at him expectantly.

"What is it?"

"It's...Haru."

Louis's ears pricked up, and he leaned closer.

"What about her?"

"I'm worried. She was acting strange when we met the other day. She thinks she's being followed."

Louis's frown deepened.

"Then we need to be smart about this," Louis said. "Let's meet at my office. We can come up with a plan there."

"All right," Legoshi said.

"Good. See you then."

Legoshi watched as Louis turned and walked away, the gears already turning in his head.

There was a pattern here. A pattern they had to find. Before more animals disappeared.